I actually read the third book in this series first and was so disappointed that I could not bring myself to complete this book . I feel that crime/murder books should at least resolve the cases in question even if others carry over into the next in the series BUT this does not do it for me . SORRY !!
I so rarely have such a strong reaction to the hard work that writers put into their writing that I would not want to review a book but this series falls into this category .

I voluntarily tried to read and review an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ok, can we all say “cliff hanger”? Because this has a huge one. I do have the next in this series, so am not too upset, but wow, I would have been. I had a problem getting into the story, but once I passed the first couple of chapters, my interest peaked. This is a convoluted who done it, many paths and possible outcomes. If you have not read this, know at least one more book is a necessity and this is an intense read.

Wow, that was quite a read. Engrossing, entertaining and a little bit (maybe a lot) trashy, thus book somehow managed to keep me reading until all hours. Lilah Love ain't your typical heroine, she's a tough, gritty, totally badass (yet vulnerable, though she'd rather die than agree) FBI agent with seriously dodgy family members and even more dodgy nightmares/memories and predilections.

She has this old flame who she can't seem to ditch, and frankly why she would want to is beyond me considering she is so hung up on him and vice versa.. She thrives on bad language, so if f#@k offends you, don't read this. It's used a lot. Not sure what to make of Lilah, to be honest, all I know is that when I first started reading I never thought I'd get past page 10, and when I looked again it was 2 in the morning. Not my usual fare, but Ms Love, her odd relationship with Kane, the tattoo hoodlum mystery, and ex-bestie have me curious as to what happens next.

Thanks to Net Galley and Lisa Renee Jones for my ARC.

Lilah Love is profiler who doesn’t take crap from anyone. There is a dark secret in her past which made her run from her home and her lover Kyle Mendez without a backwards glance to a field job in Los Angeles with the FBI. Now her latest case has her going back to the Hamptons. But is this just coincidental or are there larger forces at play? With an admirer stalking her and leaving her notes – is this the killer she is hunting or is this related to old ghosts haunting her? With local law enforcement lead by her brother pushing to close the case for reasons she has yet to discover, who can Lilah trust.

I’m not a huge fan of Lisa Renee Jones but the blurb of this book intrigued me enough to take a chance and I am so glad I did. I absolutely loved Murder Notes. This book had everything I look for – a strong female lead with attitude, mystery and suspense, multiple murders, deep dark secrets, a will they/won’t they love element with the local bad boy all woven together in a fast paced plot that will leave you totally confused but at the same time unable to stop reading because you just have to know what happens next. My one slight issue would be that this book doesn’t have a conclusion. Fortunately for me the next one, Murder Girl is available so I can dive right into it. The Lilah Love series has gone straight onto my one-click list.

This was a good book to get to know Lilah and Kane. I love how snarky she is. I don't really trust anyone in her life and there are many suspicions surrounding them. I think her dad is hiding something. I can't wait to find out more. I really enjoyed this book and the fact that we're seeing so many sides to her case. I think we're going to be surprised when we find out who is behind the killings, her notes, and setting people in her life up.

The suspense in this book is great.
The main characters are well written and engaging. But I have a problem with Lilah. She’s just plain bitchy. It’s hard to connect with her.
I’m off to read the next in the series. Hopefully, Lilah comes off better.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Not quite sure what to make of this book.

I thought it was going to be a self contained murder mystery and that issues from Lilah's personal life would develop during the series - getting over the attack she suffered in the past, and of course Kane. But instead this is clearly the first of a series uncovering the huge, broad conspiracy looming in the background, meaning you won't know how it pans out unless you read the whole series. Although I'm certain she'll end up with Kane - he seems to be the only person who really 'gets' Lilah.

And there's the sticking point - I'm not sure I want to read the series. Lilah is abrasive and bitchy, not a problem for me usually, in a tough, law enforcement character (I love Eve Dallas for instance). But she didn't seem to be anything but abrasive and that seemed a bit without cause. And I was exhausted going back and forth on who might have been acting in such a way and why, or was that just to put her off and so on. She seemed very trusting that the person who got in her house didn't leave spyware on her laptop or bug the place, which seemed odd to me, given all the conspiracy theories being thrown around.

So all in all, although i can see that some would love this book, it doesn't match my tastes. I will read the second and third because I unwisely downloaded them all at once, but i doubt I'll finish the series after that.

My first read by this author and I loved it, amazing story with so many twists and turns, Lilah Love is a great character, this book definitely leaves you needing to read the next one, to see if you guessed the killer correctly.

This is a good read, at times some of the characters are a little confusing and their relationship to one another. Lilah comes across as very cold at time and I look forward to getting her back story. As yet I don’t really understand who Kane really is! But the plot and who the murderer is, is enough to keep me interested.

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride

I actually really liked the set up of this book! Interesting characters, I tribute and a fascinating premise. I love Lila Love and found her interactions with the supporting cast fascinating. I do feel, however, that too many characters were introduced and there were so many avenues that were explored (that will hopefully be resolved in future stories) but it became a bit tedious to try to remember what the heck was happening. I look forward to future books but hope that the resolution is a bit more straightforward!) thanks to NetGalley for an early copy!

Spoiler Free Review
Murder Notes By Lisa Renee Jones is a captivating, suspenseful, mystery read. In Murder Notes we follow FBI profiler Lilah Love who is hunting for a serial killer who she thinks isn’t a serial killer. Ive read books by LRJ before and I especially loved the writing and Lilah’s character in this book. The title caught my eye while I was browsing through netgalley and the book indeed lives up to it. The case that Lilah is one has brought her back to her hometown and her ex, who seems like a suspect much heat/hate/love comes from there. The story had a slow pace which I didn’t find bad. I felt that made it more intriguing and suspenseful to read. The writing was unique— in a good way, as most of LRJ’s books are. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers. OVERALL: 4/5

Reviewed 12/21/2020
I voluntarily requested and reviewed this book via netgalley